HIPCAT: 1930s jazz slang for someone who was wise, "with it," or enlightened.....YO BOY: 1980s hip hop slang for a white person who acts black, as if all black culture was the exact same

Monday, October 02, 2006

Widespread Panic - Earth to America

HCYB Featured Album - October

If you don't like Panic, then you were either not in a frat, you were in a frat but chose to make a statement by hating frat rock, or you not blessed enough to have a heady Southern jam Rock band soundtrack your accompany your coming-of-age tale.

These guys are my favorite band, hands down. If I had to choose between a Bush re-election or Panic for President, I'd go with Panic - but I would not give up cheese for Panic. I'd only give up cheese for the NFL.

My brother saw them Saturday night in Charlotte. Jimmy Herring has replaced George McConnell as lead guitarist. I loved George, but I guess he a too much of a boy for these journeymen.

This featured album is actually not one of their strongest. The boys left the Athens studio behind to record the album in the Bahamas with a producer not named John Keane. Athough the story's good, the album lacks luster "From the Cradle" is an outstanding song, and "Ribs and Whiskey" was already a classic years before it found its way onto this album. The rest of it, though, mmmmmm.....not so much.

But a Panic album is like a post-70s Allman Brothers album: a couple good songs meshed in with a buncha mediocre ones, yet worth a listen anytime.